Reclosable package



Aug. 8 w. P. JACOBSON 3,398,877

RECLOSABLE PACKAGE Filed April i0. 1967 United States PatcntO 3,398,877 RECLOSABLE PACKAGE, William P. Jacobson, Rockford, Ill., assignor to Anderson Bros. Mfg. (30., Rockford, lll., a corporation of Illinois Filed Apr. 10, 1967, Ser. No. 629,445

10 Claims. (Cl. 229-45) ABSTRACT or THE DISCLOSURE A container having a peripheral flange and an outer flange portion which may be lifted to peel a sealed cover member. A groove is provided for engaging the outer flange portion and holding the cover Inember'reclosed. Ribs are provided at the sides of the container to reinforce the peripheral flange against uplift and hold'the cover member down.

BACKGROUND SUMMARY The present invention provides a package having a reinforced flange adjacent the sides of the container to resist the uplift force of a reclosed cover member.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a reclosable package in which the cover, member. is closely adjacent the top in reclosed position. i i I Another object is to provide a package with a resilient cover member which is pulledacross the open end when reclosed.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a reclosable package having an outer flange portion at the front which may be lifted ,to provide access into the containe r and to provide a reinforcing for the flangeat the front of the container to aid in reclosing. p

These, and other objects and advantages of the present invention, will become apparent as the same becomes better understood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the drawing.

DRAWING FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the present invention with the outer flap "portion in reclosed position;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view thereof prior to open- FIG. 3 is a partial top elevational view as seen along line 33 of FIG. 2 and having a part of the cover removed for better illustration;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary side view showing the cover being removed;

FIG. 5 is a front elevational view of the reclosed pack- FIGS. 6 and 7 are fragmentary sectional views taken along lines 6-6 and 7-7 of FIG. 1 and on a larger scale; and p FIG. 8 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION In the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1-7, the pack- 3,398,877. Patented Aug. 27, 1968 age includes a rectangular container, generally designated 20. The container has side walls 22and 24, a front wall 26, and a back wall 28 rising upwardly from abottom wall 29. The container illustrated is advantageously made of thin thermoplastic material; however, it is contemplated that other materials may be utilized if desired. The upper ends of walls 22, 24, 26, and 28 define anopen end of the container, and preferably the upper ends of the walls are coplanar. Flanges 32, 34, 36, and 38 extend out wardly from the upper ends of walls 22, 24, 26, and 28, respectively, to define an outwardly extending peripheral flange. Adjacent the outer end of flange 36 at the front ofthe container is an outer flange portion 39 for apurpose Which will hereafterbecome apparent. A flexible cover member 40 overlies the upper end of the container and is sealed to the flanges to provide a sealed package.

Cover member 40 is also sealed to outer flange portion 39 for a purpose hereinafter described. The cover member may be sealed to the flanges in any convenient manner, and may be a transparent thermoplastic material compatible with the material of the container and heatsealed to the flanges, if desired.

The outer extremity of flange 36 is advantageously a straight line, as best seen in FIG. 3. Outer flange portion 39 may be a separate strip having its inner edge closely adjacent the outer edge of flange 36, or flange 36 and outer flange portion 39 may be initially connected as illustrated in the drawing. If so connected, outer flange portion 39 is adapted to be separated from flange 36 at the outer extremity thereof while cover member 40 remains sealed to the outer flange portion. For this purpose, the container 20 is advantageously formed of a breakable material, and the separation is accomplished by deflecting outer flange portion 39 at its juncture with flange 36. As shown, this juncture is indicated at 42 and defines a generally straight break line. As best seen in FIG. 2, break line 42 is advantageously defined by a groove. Depending on the material used, the break line may be provided by other arrangements such as a plurality of slots, notches, or the like.

In accordance with the present invention, the flexible cover member 40 may be peeled off the flanges 32, 34, and 36 by lifting upwardly on outer flange portion 39, as shown in FIG. 4. Thus, outer flange portion 39 provides a grip for peeling of the cover member. For this purpose, cover member 40 is advantageously sealed to the flanges in such a manner that the seal may be broken by a peeling force advantageously in the range of about 3-5 After opening, the package may be reclosed by moving I outer flange portion 39 to a position underlying flange 36 (see FIG. 6) and holding the outer flange portion in that position to hold cover member 40' in reclosed position. For this purpose, a groove 43 is formed in front wall 26 and closely adjacent the underside of flange 36, to engage the outer edge of outer flange portion 39 in said underlying position. The width of outer flange portion 39 in its central area is preferably uniform and slightly greater than the distance from groove 43 to the outer extremity of flange 36. In this manner, cover member 40 is pulled tight in the reclosed postion.

As previously stated, cover member 40 is preferably made of resilient material and, when pulled tight, the resiliency asserts an uplift force on flange 36. Flange 36 may, of course, be made stiff enough to resist this force;

however, economies demand use of thin materials in forming containers and thus the outer end of flange 36 will lift upwardly, causing gaps at the sides of the containers. When such gapping occurs, air can enter the reclosed container and may have adverse effects on the remaining product therein. In accordance with the present invention, means is provided for reinforcing flange 36 adjacent the sides of the container to assure that the cover member 40 will be contiguous to side flanges 32 and 34 and thus provide an improved reclosing of the container. In the embodiment illustrated, the reinforcing means includes a pair of ribs 44 and 45 extending between front Wall 26 and front flange 36 to reinforce flange 36. As shown, each of ribs 44 and 45 terminates inwardly of the outer extremity of flange 36 and is located generally collinear with side walls 22 and 24, respectively. In this manner, flange 36 is reinforced or stiffened adjacent the side walls 22 and 24, and the flange 36 will retain its planar position adjacent the side walls. This holds the cover member 40 closely adjacent flanges 32 and 34 (see FIG. 7). The central portion of flange 36 may tend to lift as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6; however, this does not defeat the purpose of the invention since the uplift does not occur adjacent the sides. Indeed, the aforedescribed relationship of the outer flange portion is such that the uplift Will occur in the central portion when the cover member is tightened sufliciently so that it is contiguous to the side flanges 32 and 34.

Reopening of the container is accomplished by disengaging outer flange portion 39 from groove 43. For this purpose, the outer flange portion has end portions 39a, 3% extending sidewardly past the ribs 45 and 44, respectively, to provide a grip which may be manipulated by the fingers to accomplish the disengagement. As best seen in FIG. 7, the tightness of cover member 40 actually causes the end portions 39a, 39b to cam slightly away from the flange and position the end portions for convenient manipulation.

Another embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in FIG. 8. As shown, the container, generally designated 20, includes wall means 21 rising upwardly from a bottom wall 29' and defines a generally cylindrical wall. A peripheral flange 31' extends outwardly from the wall 21' and has a generally straight outer edge at the front of the container. An outer flange portion 39, similar to outer flange portion 39, lies adjacent the outer edge of the peripheral flange or may be connected thereto as previously described. Ribs 44 and 45 extend outwardly from wall 21 and are connected to the peripheral flange 31' adjacent the opposite side extremities of the cylindrical wall as measured perpendicularly from the front outer edge of the peripheral flange. In this manner, the ribs 44' and 45' reinforce the peripheral flange so that the cover member will be held closely adjacent the peripheral flange at the opposite side extremities and provide a tight reclosure of the package.

It can be see t hat the present invention provides a reclosable package in which the outer flange portion 39 provides a grip for peeling of cover member 40 from a portion of the peripheral flange to provide access to the container. Reinforcing means in the form of ribs 44 and 45 are provided for holding the front flange 36 against uplift and thereby holding the cover member 40 tightly against the flanges at the sides of the container and providing a tight reclosing of the cover member. Outer flange portion 39 is arranged so that the cover member is pulled tight in its reclosed position for this purpose. The outer flange portion is also arranged for convenient reopening of the package.

While it is contemplated that the present invention may be manufacture in various ways, it may be conveniently formed, filled, and sealed by the apparatus described in Patent No. 3,000,157, issued to Ollier et al. When so formed, thermoplastic materials of various types may be utilized for the container 20, and cover member 40 may be of flexible thermoplastic material of any type compatible with the container for sealing thereto. If desired, however, the cover member 40 can be formed of sheets of material which otherwise meet the requirements of the present invention and coated with a material for scaling to the container 20.

.As one example of a package made in accordance with the present invention, a package about four inches square and about one and one-half inches deep is formed from a sheet of polyvinyl chloride having a thickness of about seven and one-half mils. The thickness of the sheet may be varied and depends somewhat on the size of the package, depth of draw, and width and desired stiffness of the peripheral flange. The break-off line 42 is formed by a slot or groove extending nearly through the sheet. Outer flange portion 39 is shaped with its central portion about 55, wider than the distance from the break-offline 42 to retaining groove 43. This dimension, too, will vary according to the size of the container and thickness of materials utilized. Cover member 40 is formed of Saran of'about two mils thickness and coated with a heat and pressure responsive sealant for the sealing process. The seal accomplished as described above provides for opening by peeling in the manner indicated.

While two embodiments of the invention have herein been illustrated and described, this has been done by Way of illustration and not limitation, and the invention should not be limited except as required by the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a reclosable package including a container havwall means defining an upwardly facing open end, said container having a front and sides extending therefrom, a peripheral flange extending outwardly from the upper end of the wall means, an outer flange portion adjacent the peripheral flange at the front of the container, a cover member overlying the open end and sealed to the peripheral flange and the outer flange portion, said package so arranged that the outer flange portion may be lifted to peel the cover member from a portion of the peripheral flange to provide access to the container, and said outer flange portion movable to a position underlying the peripheral flange at the front side to reclose the cover member over the open end, the improvement comprising: retaining means on the container for holding the outer flange portion in said reclosed position, the cover member being made of resilient material, the outer flange portion and retaining means so arranged that the cover member in the reclosed position causes an uplift force on the peripheral flange at the front of the container, and reinforcing means on the wall means adjacent the sides of the container for stiffening the peripheral flange thereadjacent to hold it from the uplift and thereby hold the reclosed cover against the peripheral flange at the sides of the container.

2. A reclosable package as set forth in claim 1 whereing the reinforcing means includes a pair of ribs extending between the wall means at the front of the container and the peripheral flange, said ribs being spaced from each other and at opposite sides of the container.

3. A reclosable package as set forth in claim 2 wherein at least one of the ribs terminates inwardly of the outer extremity of the peripheral flange, and wherein the outer flange portion has at least one sidewardly extending arm extending past the one rib in the reclosed position to provide a grip for reopening the containers.

4. A reclosable package as set forth in claim 2 wherein the retaining means is located on the wall means between said ribs and engages the extremity of the outer flange portion in said reclosed position.

5. A reclosable package as set forth in claim 4 wherein the peripheral flange and outer flange portion are generally the same thickness and the width of the outer flange portion is greater'than the distance from the outer edge of the peripheral flange to the point where the retaining means engages the outer flange portion in reclosed position, thereby stretching the cover member in the reclosed position.

6. A reclosable package as set forth in claim 5 wherein the ribs terminate inwardly of the outer extremity of the peripheral flange, the peripheral flange has a generally straight outer edge at the front of the container and extending at least the distance from the outer side extremities of the ribs, the retaining means comprises a groove on the wall means at the front of the container and located closely adjacent the underside of the peripheral flange and between said ribs, the Wall means at the juncture of the peripheral flange and between said ribs being generally parallel to said outer edge of the peripheral flange, the outer flange portion including a central portion disposed between the ribs in reclosed position and having an outer edge generally parallel to the outer edge of the peripheral flange for engaging the groove in reclosed position, and the outer flange portion including end portions extending sidewardly past the ribs in reclosed position to provide a grip for reopening the container.

7. A reclosable package as set forth in claim 2 wherein the wall means defines a generally cylindrical wall, the peripheral flange has a generally straight outer edge at the front of the container, and the ribs extend outwardly from the wall means and are connected to the peripheral flange adjacent the opposite side extremities of the cylindrical wall as measured perpendicularly from the front outer edge of the peripheral flange.

8. A reclosable package was set forth in claim 2 wherein the wall means defines a generally rectangular package having a front wall and side walls extending generally perpendicularly therefrom, the ribs extend outwardly from the front wall, and each rib being generally collinear with one of the side walls.

9. A reclosable package comprising: a container having wall means defining an upwardly-facing open end, the upper ends of the wall means being generally planar, an outwardly-extending peripheral flange at the upper end of the wall means and generally coplanar therewith, said container having a front and sides extending therefrom, an outer flange portion adjacent the peripheral flange at the front of the container, a flexible and resilient cover member overlying the open end and sealed to the peripheral flange and the outer flange portion, said package so arranged that the outer flange portion may be lifted to peel the cover member from a portion of the peripheral flange to provide access to the container, said outer flange movable to a position underlying the peripheral flange at the front side to pull the cover member over the open end, retaining means on the container for holding the outer flange portion in the reclosed position, and reinforcing means extending downwardly from the peripheral flange at the front of the container and adjacent the sides thereof for stiffening the peripheral flange thereadjacent to hold it from an uplift force by the pulled cover member and to maintain the reclosed cover against the peripheral flange at the sides of the container.

10. A reclosable package as set forth in claim 9 wherein the container is formed of a thin thermoplastic material, the outer flange portion is initially connected to the outer edge of the peripheral flange but separable therefrom while the cover member remains sealed to the outer flange portion, said outer flange portion and peripheral flange being generally the same thickness, and the outer flange portion having a width so that the edge adjacent the peripheral flange is disposed outwardly thereof when the outer flange portion is in reclosed position thereby pulling the cover member.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,000,157 9/1961 Ollier et al 53-184 3,048,299 8/ 1962 Hutchinson 22054 3,069,273 12/1962 Wayne 206-5 6- X 3,096,904 7/1963 Hutchinson 220-54 X 3,101,870 8/1963 Betner 22O 54 X 3,108,708 10/ 1963 Betner 220 -54 3,192,091 6/1965 Hey et al. 206-56 X 3,276,616 10/1966 Lurie 220-53 X 3,348,754 10/ 1967 Koolnis 229-17 3,352,479 11/1967 Mohs 229-51 3,371,848 3/1968 Ward et al. 229--43 FOREIGN PATENTS 234,579 7/ 1964 Austria.

DAVIS T. MOORHEAD, Primary Examiner. 

